Dr. Marla Schwarzfeld and Victoria Nowell are entomologists studying predaceous soil mites and soil biodiversity. They will show us how they extract soil arthropods from soil, introduce us to some of our neighbours – the tiny living critters – as they move around under a microscope, and give an overview of all the major groups of insects and arachnids in the soil at Fletcher Wildlife Garden.

We’ll also see the results of our Soil Your Undies experiment… a fun way to check how biologically active your soil is. In early May, five FWG volunteers buried pairs of 100% cotton underwear in different spots. They’ll dig them up 2 months later just before the workshop. Let’s see what’s left! There shouldn’t be much cotton left if there is abundant life in the soil. A step-by-step guide on how to properly Soil Your Undies is available at www.soilcc.ca.